Halloween anyone?

Halloween is my all-time favorite holiday. I’ve already mentioned my affinity for candy corn, I have a special interest in the supernatural and although I arrived into the world five days late, I was due to make my entrance on Halloween.

I know what you’re thinking right now. You’re wondering if they celebrate Halloween in Australia. I get this question every year. The answer is no… well yes… umm sort-of? The Australian version of Halloween is like this. It’s like walking into a bar on spring break in Cancun and ordering a margarita from one of those mass produced propeller controlled machines. It’s tasteless and has less alcohol than a Bartles and Jaymes wine cooler. So why even bother.

This evening at 6pm while the sun was still shinning bright, we went for a walk. During our thirty minute walk we saw a total of maybe seven children trick-or-treating. I sadly watched a group of 10-year-old girls dressed as school girl meets zombie go from door to door with no answer. At another house, one little girl sat outside in a ballerina outfit jumping on her trampoline while her dad washed the car. A bucket of candy lay on the grass. One Halloween friendly house advertised with black and orange balloons. It was bizarre. I felt as if I was in the middle of a bad dream where humans retreated underground and only the fanatical came out to celebrate Halloween. Not a jack-o-lantern or Halloween decoration in sight, no designated candy aisles in the stores and no “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” on the television.

By no means is this a criticism of Australia’s version of Halloween. I wouldn’t even expect Halloween to be recognized here but it’s something that’s slowly caught on in recent years from watching American tv shows and movies. I asked Shane when he was first introduced to Halloween. His answer was as a teenager, watching the Simpsons. How did I not already know this.

The curiosity is understandable. It gives young adults (and some older ones) they excuse to dress inappropriately and stay out late drinking and it gives young children an excuse to eat candy and socialize on a school night. A segment on this morning’s national morning program was even dedicated to the question of whether or not Australia should embrace Halloween.

I was living in England one 4th of July. A local American themed sports bar (because sports bars are inherently American) decided to capitalize on the 4th of July. The theme was Cowboys and Indians – hardly 4th of July but a good excuse to dress as a favored American stereotype and drink some pints.

But back to Halloween in Australia. If we’re going to get technical, Halloween’s roots are Celtic. Its commercialization is American. Seeing that there is probably a greater percentage of Australians with Celtic heritage than Americans then maybe they should be embracing Halloween?

But, as far as I’m concerned, my last Halloween was in 2007. I was a banana. That’s when my 28 year streak of dressing up for Halloween came to an end. On Friday I spoke with batman on Skype. He was in Houston. I had nearly forgotten that Halloween was only two days away until my friend’s four year old greeted me on the other end of the webcam.

I don’t want to leave you thinking that Australia doesn’t have its own holidays. On November 2nd, the first Tuesday in November, the Melbourne Cup will take place. The Kentucky Derby of Australian horse races but bigger. The state of Victoria declares it a public holiday and it’s rather acceptable for workers in other states to call in sick. I’m not really into horse races but the dresses, the hats, and the spring racing season is a big part of this culture and I enjoy watching Australians embrace a tradition that is uniquely theirs.

Trick or treat! Smell my feet! Give me something good to eat! Mate.